


Lightning Never Strikes Twice

by RK97



Series: Now Don't Lose Your Fight, Kid [2]
Category: CrankGameplays - Fandom, Unus Annus - Fandom, Video Blogging RPF, markiplier - Fandom
Genre: Anxiety, Back to the Future References, Brotp, Comfort No Hurt, Fluff, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic Male/Male Relationships, Platonic Relationships, Queerplatonic Relationships, References to Depression, Touch-Starved, Wack, depressed inner thoughts, ethan wants comfort without knowing how to ask for it, just lots a fluff, mark reassuring ethan, you can't cuddle with ur friends bruh?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-14
Updated: 2020-09-14
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:15:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26465515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RK97/pseuds/RK97
Summary: -FWAP- a long-sleeved shirt nailed Ethan in the face then fell into his lap, he looked down at the soft boi merch, running his thumb along the soft black fabric.“Wha-?” he looked up at Mark in confusion.“If you start thinking any louder dust from the gears grinding around in there is going to start to come out of your ears” Mark walked forward, stopping by the side of the bed, grabbing the shirt from Ethan’s lap and shoving it in the garbage bag he had in his hand.Mark raised an eyebrow at Ethan, halting gathering clothes for a second, he shifted his weight onto one foot. “What are you thinking about?”-or-Ethan's having second thoughts about his decision to stay with Mark. Mark eases his worries.(then they watch back to the future!)
Relationships: Mark Fischbach & Ethan Nestor
Series: Now Don't Lose Your Fight, Kid [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1867348
Comments: 13
Kudos: 197





	Lightning Never Strikes Twice

**Author's Note:**

> hellur! before you start reading this fic, it is a sequel(?)/continuation(?) of course it can be read as a stand alone! but for context it would make more sense if you read part one!
> 
> again all of this is a work of fiction! i'm just taking Ethan and Marks internet personas and running wild with them. i mean what else would i do with my Brotp?
> 
> enjoy!

Ethan sat on edge of his bed, one leg tucked up underneath of him. Absently pulling on the drawstring of the soft black hoodie he was wearing. His fingers glided through Spencer’s soft fur. The shepherd dog mix sighed in relaxation moving closer to Ethan’s thigh.

He watched as Mark walked around the room, left hand gripping a garbage bag, weaving in and out trying not step on the clothes that were scattered across the floor, picking up a long-sleeved navy shirt and giving it shake before tossing it in the garbage bag.

His shoulders slumped. Mark didn’t need to be dealing with this, any of this. Taking care of the mess in the kitchen was one thing, asking Ethan to come stay over was entirely different! No, He should be at home instead, editing videos, or playing with Chica, or relaxing, he shouldn’t be here dealing with Ethan’s shit.

Ethan had started to seriously regret agreeing to stay with Mark. He couldn’t expect Mark to deal with this every day. In fact, Ethan didn’t want him too. He didn’t want to see the look on Mark’s face when it was the 6th day Ethan hadn’t showered, or the pitied looks he’d knew he’d get when he couldn’t get out of bed. He didn’t want to hear the “If you just got up and actually did something, you’d kickstart your day!” or the classic “just try and be happy!”. He didn’t want them to get into a fight, one where Mark finally gets fed up with his bullshit and tells him he has to go. He didn’t want to have to come back to this lonely house after getting used to being around someone else for so long.

Ethan didn’t think he could handle that. No, it would be better if he could convince Mark he was okay. Then he wouldn’t have to do the shameful coming back all alone, the sadness wouldn’t creep in at him at night, he wouldn’t cry himself to sleep after, no he couldn’t let that happen. But how could he convince Mark he was okay? It seemed a little too late since Mark was already ‘packing some clean clothes’ for Ethan.

‘ _clean clothes_ ’ Ethan quietly snorted, he honestly couldn’t remember the last time he had done laundry, everything just ended up on the floor anyway, he didn’t know how long the clothes had been there for. And there was Mark dutifully picking them up anyways like it didn’t bother him.

He rang his hands nervously thinking of what to say , Maybe he could say this was just a small setback, he wouldn’t let himself get like this again, he could explain to Mark it was just a big misunderstanding and that he could-

-FWAP- a long-sleeved shirt nailed Ethan in the face then fell into his lap, he looked down at the soft boi merch, running his thumb along the soft black fabric.

“Wha-?” he looked up at Mark in confusion.

“If you start thinking any louder dust from the gears grinding around in there is going to start to come out of your ears” Mark walked forward, stopping by the side of the bed, grabbing the shirt from Ethan’s lap and shoving it in the garbage bag he had in his hand.

Mark raised an eyebrow at Ethan, halting gathering clothes for a second, he shifted his weight onto one foot. “What are you thinking about?”

Ethan looked down at the bed, He ran his hand through Spencer’s fur. “Well. I was thinking, y’know about the whole me coming over thing and I uh I don’t, well I mean like I’m alright y’know? Um like you don’t have to do all this. I just had a bad week and stuff, and I’m fine, really” Ethan stumbled over his words sheepishly scratching the back of his neck.

Mark swallowed, Ethan seriously thought he was doing okay? No food in the house, and with the way he golfed down the soup it seemed like he hadn’t been eating much. Did he think he was actually okay or was he just making it seem like everything was okay for Marks sake?

“Ethan?” Mark said lightly as he looked down at Ethan. He glanced up for a moment briefly making eye contact before looking away, Mark barely caught it, but it was enough for him to make up his mind. Ethan looked so tired, and so thin, and when did he start looking that thin?

Quite frankly Mark didn’t give a fuck if the queen herself told him Ethan was doing fine and okay. He wasn’t doing okay at all. And he wasn’t leaving until either he was 100% sure Ethan was okay or (with the way things were going) carrying Ethan out fireman style and all.

“Y’know, when my dad died” Mark glanced over toward the door, shifting weight to his other foot, a far off look in his eye “I pretended everything was fine. That nothing was wrong. I didn’t want anybody’s help, I could do it all on my own. And it made me miserable. I was angry, and alone, and sad. And I did it to myself. I don’t want that to happen to you if I can help it”

Ethan blinked back tears as he picked at non-existent threads on his bedding deciding on what to say. Mark sat down on the bed, crossing his arms, discarding the trash bag he was holding. Ethan looked up at him once more.

“Why don’t you want to stay with me?” Mark asked, straight faced, no hidden accusatory tone.

“What?” Ethan squeaked, hand slightly gripping his comforter.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to tell me, sorry it just slipped out”

Ethan’s shoulders drooped, bowing his head “it’s not that I don’t want to stay with you Mark. But I know what’s gonna happen”

Mark cocked his head to one side “Oh Yeah? Humor me”

Ethan pulled at his hoodie sleeves before looking up at Mark, he sighed. “This is how it’s gonna go, the first couple days will be fine cuz I’ll have you to talk to and stuff and I’ll seem happy and feel happy” Ethan hugged his knees a little tighter pulling them close to his chest, protecting himself. “and then a week will go by, and my brain will fall back into a routine. I’ll forget to put dishes away, I’ll stop being fun, I won’t leave my bed. And- and” Ethan tucked his head into his knees, trying to close himself off, his words coming out muffled “You’ll get mad at me, that I won’t do this, or that, or help myself, or that I’m not trying hard enough and you’ll get fed up and have enough and tell me to get the fuck out and please Mark” he sighed “I don’t think I can handle that coming from you” he breathed out, deflating like a balloon after getting all those thoughts off his chest.

Mark sat back uncrossing his arms, he opened his mouth before pausing again thinking carefully. “I don’t expect it to be sunshine and rainbows Eth, two people living together is a compromise, and I can’t one hundred percent promise you I won’t get frustrated. But I can promise you that I won’t give up. I am not a quitter” he flashed Ethan a toothy grin. “and if we do get frustrated with each other we’ll deal with it when it comes okay? You don’t have to stay over, I think it would be easier but it’s your decision and I’m not gonna force you, but I did mean what I said, you’re stuck with me one way or the other”. Mark looked at Ethan smiling hoping he had soothed enough of his friends worries. He didn’t know what he was going to do if Ethan fully back tracked out of staying with him.

Ethan twirled his hoodie string in his fingers processing the information. He knew how stubborn Mark was once he had his mind set. And he was right, it would be easier to go to Marks anyways, there was a spare bedroom, more room for the dogs, actual food in the house…

Ethan stood up, shaking his arms out. Mark raised an eyebrow questioningly at him. He pointed towards his closet “I guess I should get my suitcase, we can’t keep using garbage bags”

Mark grinned.

* * *

“How many blankets do you want?” Mark called out, head half shoved in the packed linen closet

“uhh two or three I guess” Ethan said looking around the spare bedroom. It was nice, light grey walls, a big window, the curtains were open letting light dance across the dark brown furniture, a double bed, nightstand, and a dresser. A few paintings hung on the walls. Ethan could almost pretend it was a hotel room and he was on vacation.

Mark came stumbling into the room, blankets piled high on top of him. He plopped them onto the bed.

”bed, made!” Ethan laughed at him eyes warm.

“I’ll be right back!” Mark said walking out of the room.

Ethan nodded though Mark had already left, he set his suitcase on top of the bed, unzipping it open. He took out his toiletry bag and placed in on the dresser along with few personal items, something to make the room a little more cozy. A photo of Spencer, an old antique camera, and his Nintendo switch. He didn’t know how long he was going to stay at Mark’s so he didn’t want to be too enthusiastic and unpack everything he had brought just to have to shamefully pack it all back up again, He closed the suitcase and put it in the corner of the room.

He turned just as Mark walked back in carrying a small TV. He set it down on the dresser. “I know it’s small, but it has an HDMI port, and really that’s all that matters”

Ethan waved his hands, eyes wide “Mark, I don’t need a TV, really you can put it back and I-“ Mark held a hand up. “Don’t worry, it’s a spare one that I wasn’t using, Chica definitely wasn’t using it, I mean unless she manages to turn it on when I’m not home…” he looked down at the fluffy golden retriever, scratching her between the ears.

Mark glanced at the dresser, “See! You brought your switch, you need a TV!”

Ethan held one arm across close to his chest. “yeah, thanks Mark” he beamed.

* * *

It had been two weeks since Mark had asked Ethan to stay with him, and Ethan didn’t know where Marks energy supply radiated from.

The man was a constant machine with the dogs, his youtube channel, cleaning, & cooking, even just watching him made Ethan exhausted. He felt like a piece of shit for not being able to contribute any help, his brain still wasn’t letting him get up. The most he did when he wasn’t asleep was play animal crossing. Chica would come in to check on him periodically, sometimes Ethan swore Mark sent her.

He tested the theory once by tying a little note to her collar _“hello, instead of pigeon post its doggo post! – E”_ he patted her on the head and told her to ‘go find Mark!’ And off she went. A little while later she came back in happily wagging her tail, a new note attached _“doggo post, I like it. What do you want for dinner? – M”_

Mark and Ethan ate dinner every night together, it usually involved whatever takeout menu Mark grabbed first from the junk drawer. Other than that, Mark had kept his distance and Ethan kept to himself mostly in his room. On one hand Ethan had enjoyed the space Mark had given him, he was slowly starting to adapt to living at Marks, he still felt like a guest in a sense but he was getting better. On the other hand, Ethan wanted attention, he was tired of being alone and feeling lonely.

Ethan didn’t know how to tell Mark he wanted to spend time with him without coming across as too needy, he also didn’t want to annoy Mark or insinuate anything. Ethan frowned as a past memory crept into his head, his friend insisting Ethan had been hitting on him and not believing Ethan at all. The fight had led to some words which Ethan hadn’t thought his friend would say. He was afraid Mark would do the same, ridicule him and call him pathetic.

 _‘Speak of the devil’_ shaking his head out of his reverie, gripping the Nintendo switch he had in his hands a little tighter, he heard footsteps coming down the hall.

Mark stuck his head in the doorway, “Hey! you up for watching a movie?” Ethan looked up from his switch, animal crossing bells swam across his vision. “Yeah I need a break, this bitch Barbara still won’t move into my village and your walls are in danger cuz I might just throw this fuckin thing” he shook the controller a little in his hand for emphasis.

Mark chuckled, leaning to the left, resting his hip against the door frame. “well, don’t take it out on the poor walls! They did nothing to you, take it out on that Barbara bitch!” Ethan uncrossed his legs and stood up, tossing the switch back onto the bed. “you just wait until she moves into my village, it’s all over for you Barb!!” he followed behind Mark to the living room.

Flopping down on the couch he lifted his feet up putting them on the coffee table

“What are we watchin?’

Mark fell back on the couch next to Ethan.

“Hmmnn” he hummed, racking his brain for what they could watch.

“Back to the future”

“Marrrkk we’re gonna be here for hours” Ethan half complained half sing-songed

Mark half turned, raising an eyebrow “How so? The movies only like two hours long”

“nooo, you have to watch part two and part three along with it or it won’t have an ending!” he bounced up and down on the couch

“Well” Mark shrugged as if to say ‘what can ya do?’ “Marathon it is then!” He pressed play and they were harmonized immediately by Huey Lewis’s ‘The power of love’

The pair fell back into comfortable silence as they watched Doc and Marty try and fix the space time continuum.

Halfway through the movie Ethan started getting restless, he leaned forward, then back, uncrossing and crossing his legs. He wished he had remembered to bring one of his Rubik’s cubes down with him. Mark glanced over at Ethan, whose eyes were still glued to the screen but body wise was all over the place, the 4th time Ethan switched crossing his legs Mark paused the movie, stretching his arms above his head standing up. “I gotta pee, be right back”

Ethan sat on the couch, debating whether or not he should go get the rubiks cube, what if it bothered Mark? Ethan remembered being yelled at multiple times for ‘being distracted’ while trying to watch a movie with someone else but it was how he concentrated. He didn’t want Mark to yell at him. Or worse, think he wasn’t interested in watching the movie in the first place.

He heard the microwave turning on and the POP-POP-POP of popcorn being made. Forgetting completely about the Rubik’s cube he went out into the kitchen. Mark stood, crew neck on, sleeves rolled up halfway, leaning against the marble counter top eyes lost in thought.

“whaddya got to drink?” Ethan asked opening the fridge door. Mark shook his head, coming back too

. “I think there’s some soda in there” “ooh Pepsi, perfect!” Ethan grabbed a can, “Do you want one?” he asked, foot jammed between the door of the fridge so it wouldn’t close. Mark nodded “Yeah grab me one too”

They made their way back into the living room, settling down again before pressing play. Ethan reached over to grab some popcorn before realizing Mark had the whole bowl in his hands.

“Marrrrk quit hogging the popcorn!”

Mark shoved a handful of it into his mouth “m’not hoggin’ it, get closer”

Ethan scooted down the couch so he was closer to Mark. He grabbed a handful and happily munched away turning his attention back to Marty Mcfly.

The movie was entering the third arc when they finished the popcorn. Ethan stayed put, not wanting to go back to his original spot, being close to Mark made him feel relaxed and safe. He wanted to lean his head against Marks shoulder, he smiled at the thought, then frowned, knowing if he tried Mark would probably push him off.

 _'At least it would be some type of physical contact'_ He hadn’t had a hug since the night Mark came over, and before that Ethan couldn’t remember the last time somebody had hugged him, or done anything remotely physical contact-y. he inwardly sighed knowing he should scooch back to his spot on the couch, but he couldn’t get himself too.

Mark turned putting his feet up on the coffee table, leg brushing Ethan’s thigh. Ethan felt burned by the touch, his shoulders tensed, hands clenching into fists. He was getting so frustrated with himself, the touch lingered on his thigh and his brain had started turning to mush, all he could focus on was the thought of getting a hug.

“Eth you okay?” Mark asked, glancing at him. “N-No” ethan choked out, mouth moving faster than his brain. Mark shifted his body, turning so he was directly looking at Ethan. “No? what’s wrong, is everything okay?” Ethan bit his tongue “I-uh- yeah”

Mark gave a disapproving stare cracking Ethan’s demeanor. ‘I’m s-sorry mark” Ethan whimpered, shoving his face in his hands.

Mark looked around bewildered, ‘Ethan..I don’t understand, what are you sorry for?” Ethan shook his head “it’s stupid, I- never mind” Mark paused the movie “it’s not stupid Ethan, it’s okay” Ethan shook his head again “But it is dumb Mark, it’s dumb, and I’m dumb for thinking it”

It was Marks turn to shake his head “You’re not dumb for thinking anything Eth, safespace its okay, tell me what’s on your mind” he said encouragingly. Ethan scratched the back of his head, glancing away from Mark, he wanted to lie, tell Mark he had an upset stomach or something but the way Mark was looking at him and he was trying so hard… Ethan decided he deserved the truth. “well, uh I was thinking of leaning my head against your shoulder just for some contact just cause it’s been so long since I’ve had a proper hug and stuff but I didn’t want to impose anything on you becauseiknowitsweirdandfriendsdon’tdothatshitandimsorry” Ethan blurted out in one breath.

Mark looked at him, no facial expression. He stood up away from the couch. Ethan shut his eyes tight, this was it, he knew he shouldn’t have said anything and Mark was going to punch him in the face for even suggesting it, a small tremble coursed through him.

He felt the weight of the couch dip down as Mark sat, and then he felt a soft pushing against his side. Ethan swallowed down the tears as best as he could. Mark grabbing Ethan’s legs lightly positioning him like he was a doll. Ethan let it happen, too afraid to ask what was going on, was this some weird secret wrestling move?

He didn’t expect Marks warm arms to enwrap him, he opened one eye, realizing he was now laying sideways.

It took Ethan a second to wrap his head around what happened. they were laying down on the couch, in a cuddling fashion, Mark being the big spoon, one arm draped over Ethan’s side protectively.

“Mark?” it sounded muffled coming from behind one of Marks sleeves

“mhhm?” Ethan could feel the deep vibrations from Marks voice against the back of his head.

Ethans neck flushed “you- you know you don’t have to do this for my sake” “I know” Mark hummed, “I did it for mine” He squeezed Ethan a little closer “now shh I gotta see if Marty makes it back to his timeline”

Ethan rolled his eyes and smiled, a small burst of happiness fluttered in his stomach, he relaxed back into Marks arms, snuggling himself deeper. As Mark reached for the remote to hit play Ethan felt for the next little while, everything was going to be okay.

**Author's Note:**

> *screams in fluff* agh i am such a sappy bitch i love fluff to much hahaha  
> hope you all enjoyed! kudos & comments & suggestions/prompts are very much appreciated!
> 
> again there will be another part to this! ive gotta couple ideas i want flush out for sure! 
> 
> toodles!~


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